Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to grant licences to responsible citizens to carry sophisticated weapons such as AK47 to deter criminals from attacking innocent and helpless Nigerians.
Ortom’s proposal, which was part of some submissions in the paper he delivered on Tuesday during the virtual meeting convened by Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL) in collaboration with Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), also suggested that the policy should be backed by a strict legal framework to prevent illegal possession of arms by the citizenry without exception.
The governor, in the paper entitled, ‘Insecurity and Governance Challenges in the New Normal,’ stated that governments at all levels must come to terms with the fact that insecurity is a real threat to development of the country and be willing to sincerely tackle the menace.
He also recommended adequate funding of security agencies and continuous training of their personnel to enable them be abreast of global dynamics in the fight against insecurity.
He further urged the federal government to embrace ranching as it is the global best practice of animal husbandry and enact a law to end open grazing which often comes with attacks on farming communities by alleged armed herders militia.
Ortom, however, advocated improved educational standards and enhanced public enlightenment campaigns to give the people, particularly youths, the needed orientation to shun negative acts and become more patriotic.
The governor also called for the repositioning of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) through training, funding and logistics to successfully confront drug barons and peddlers; a move he said would stop illegal drugs from entering and circulating in the country.
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